fandomhighdorms | Magic/Support Reserves Meeting, The Preserve, Wednesday Afternoon

Raven was just a little nervous to start the reserves meeting. She'd gotten more used to speaking up in class, but talking in front of a group of people who were all looking at her was a different story. A gentle nudge from Karla had been necessary to get her to step forward and begin to speak.

"Many of us here -- not all, I know -- prefer to avoid the fighting for our own reasons," Raven said. "For instance, I am a pacifist, and as an empath, the emotions that arise during combat are often very uncomfortable for me. I will deal with such things when I must heal someone, but I do not belong in the front lines of combat.

"But for those who are engaged in a fight, whether magically or physically, it is best not to do so blindly. When something invades Fandom, we must find out everything about it so that we know how to best repel the attack, and that is where we can provide much needed support. Some of us have abilities to use various forms of divination, be it tarot cards or crystal balls or prophetic dreams. Others are skilled with a computer or are more at home with books, and may have access to information that the rest of us do not.

"Today we would like to talk about what abilities, either magical or mundane, each of us have for researching threats to Fandom. For instance, I sometimes have prophetic dreams of the future, but I know very little about computers. I am just beginning to learn to use one." Just wait 'til she found Rumor Gal fanfic.

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If Kennedy's answering smile was a little awkward, it was just because it hit her all over again how weird it was to be helping out a demon.

"It's all good," she answered instead, shrugging-- but watching Raven carefully for any signs of lingering trauma. "What I do and all that. You're okay, right?"

"I am well enough," Raven said. She held up one hand and flexed her fingers. "He hurt my wrist when he was grabbing and pulling me, but it was easy enough to heal myself. I am sorry that he hurt you, however."

Kennedy gave her a quizzical look. "Whaaaaaat? I was totally fine. I mean, yeah, there was the tree, but pssht. I'm good."

Let her have her delusion, Raven. Or, you know, not.

Raven was confused for a moment, then realized Kennedy didn't remember being healed, and that her lack of injury was a source of pride for her. She liked that pride and didn't want to diminish it, so she merely nodded instead of correcting her. "That boy was Sebastian," she said instead. She moved her hand to her neck and rubbed the place she'd been bitten. "The one who...."

Kennedy's eyes went flat for a moment; she didn't finish the sentence out loud, but most likely she didn't need to.

"He's been taken care of?" she asked in clipped tones. She'd be pissed that she didn't get a chance to do it (because that would have worked so well, really), but hey, sticking to the important thing here.

Shame about that phrasing.

"He is...gone," Raven said quietly. "But I am certain he will return. This is the third time he has assaulted me. He believes I am his promised bride. He believes many strange things."

"So, not dust. And he could show up again." Kennedy gave her an exasperated look, but okay, okay, trying to be understanding here. Trying, if not entirely succeeding. "And you don't want me staking him why, exactly?"

Between this, and weird masked nerd guy's hangup about how she should probably be arresting vampires instead of staking them...

Seriously, people. Come on.

"I do not wish any violence committed on my behalf," Raven said, lifting her head to look at Kennedy. "But I do not seek to protect him. If he should return and you encounter him, you must do what you see fit so that he does not harm you or another."

"You know, you drive me nuts," Kennedy told her, running a hand through her hair, and was that actually almost affectionate? Maybe if you tilted your head at exactly that angle and squinted and... okay, yeah, it kind of was, and an empath should be able to tell there wasn't any real malice behind the words.

"I do?" Raven said, sensing that lack of malice, but unsure what to make of it and her words. "I am...sorry?"

Kennedy burst out laughing-- only for a second, but she did. "It's cool. Really. I do it to other people all the time, so it's kinda fair, I guess."

"Ah, karma then," Raven said, smiling at Kennedy.

"Kinda prefer to think of it as just payback," Kennedy told her. "So, uh, congrats, by the way. On the leader gig."

"Thank you," Raven said, blushing and ducking her head. "I am not sure how well I will do. I am unfamiliar with leadership."

"So you got tossed in the deep end," said Kennedy, the ever-helpful, with far too casual a tone. "You'll figure out how to swim. Not like you have much of a choice now."

Thanks, Kennedy. Keep on helping.

"I do not know how to swim, either," Raven said. "Is that required for leadership?" Her smile hopefully told Kennedy she was teasing; she didn't take everything literally.

"And she makes a joke," Kennedy announced, clearly impressed. "Way to swing for the fences there, Raven."

"I am learning to be better with humor," Raven said, pleased by Kennedy's reaction. "It is a very difficult concept at times, and I often do not realize when I am being teased."

It made her seem a little less alien, and that helped with the whole demon thing, so Kennedy saw no bad here.

"You're not doing a damn bad job of it so far," she offered. "You know, if that's your way of saying I could get away with giving you crap more often..."

"Perhaps I should not encourage you," Raven said. Talking to Kennedy like this made her definitely feel more relaxed.

"Fine, fine," Kennedy teased right back, holding both hands up. "Don't let me help, then, I see how it is."

"Well," Raven said, pretending to think about it for a moment, "if it is the price I must pay for your aid, then I will think I will gladly pay it."

"Please." Kennedy pretended to flick a pebble at her. "Giving people a hard time, I do for free. Ask... pretty much anyone who's ever known me."

Her grin? Completely unrepentant.

Magic/Support Reserves Meeting, The Preserve, Wednesday Afternoon

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